Tuesday, December 11, 2012

A few months ago, I noticed that people seemed to be getting increasingly short-tempered and uncharacteristically nasty. Not just here on the blog, not just in either Europe or the USA, but literally everywhere I went, virtually or in real life. Normally patient people were snapping at others. The habitually grumpy were either going entirely silent or biting people's heads off at the slightest provocation. I am reliably informed that my own tendency to brood and think dark thoughts was beginning to rival Guy de Maupassant's; I'd put it down to being on the home stretch of the novel, but now that I'm coming up for air, that doesn't appear to have been the cause. It has gradually become apparent that this increasingly negative social mood has come about because very nearly everyone has either been laid off, missed out on a job opportunity, knows someone who has been laid off, or has family members who are unemployed.

Those who are freelancers have been finding fewer jobs dropping in their laps, and the work that they find is less lucrative than it used to be. I went to a good-sized tire store this week to pay for some tires that were changed after hours when I didn't have my wallet with me - I stopped to make an appointment on the way home and the guy offered to change them then - and learned that everyone had been laid off and the operation would be shutting down at the end of the year. And this was, to all appearances, a large and profitable operation with little competition nearby.

And yet, none of this is particularly new. Unemployment is supposedly lower than it has been and even if we assume the usual statistical shenanigans by the BLS, job losses haven't significantly increased since last year. So why is the social mood so awful? How can it be so negative when the Dow is higher than it was two years ago? It can't be the election; even if Republicans are deservedly in the dumps, shouldn't the Obama-voting majority be happy with things going their way?

I suggest the reason can be seen here, in the chart to the right, which shows two lines. The two lines match very closely from 2005 through the end of 2007; the point of maximum divergence is only 0.6 percent in Q4 2005. They start to part company in Q1 2008, when Z1 falls $358 billion short of the expected Zn. In the most recent quarter, Q3 2012, Z1 is $22.6 trillion lower than Zn, a 40.8 percent divergence.

Z1 represents total credit market debt outstanding, as reported by the Federal Reserve. This, in combination with M2, is the effective money supply. It is the "credit money spent" of which Mises and other Austrians write. Zn, on the other hand, is what Z1 would be if it had continued growing at its historical rate of 2.36 percent per quarter from Q4 2004. What is shows is not credit deflation; Z1 is now $2.4 trillion higher than its previous peak in Q1 2009. It merely shows the lack of credit inflation that the U.S. economy requires to continue providing its illusion of increasing wealth and economic growth. It is why we have seen neither the predicted inflation or deflation, this is observably what can be best described as "debt-disinflation".

The U.S. economy's dependence upon a rapid rate of credit growth is not a recent phenomenon. While the 9.8 percent growth from 2005 to 2007 does exceed the 60-year average of 8.6 percent from 1948 through 2007, the 2008-2012 average of 2.0 percent is less than one quarter of the lower figure. The current rate of credit money growth is also less than half that of the previous four-year average lows, 5.1 percent in 1948-1951 and 5.7 percent in 1991-1994.

As Karl Denninger and I have both independently demonstrated, the US economy has not actually grown in real macroeconomic terms since the early 1980s when not only M2 inflation, but Z1 inflation as well, is taken into account. However, the illusion of growth was preserved by the quarterly credit inflation of 2.36 percent. Once that inflation stopped, however, the illusion began to fail. GDP growth has continued by virtue of the federal government's massive attempt to single-handedly prop up credit growth; if Z1 had kept pace with the federal sector's rate of growth, Zg would be $112,021 trillion and we would finally have the massive inflation that the inflationistas have been expecting.

That $22.6 trillion gap is the real demand gap that Paul Krugman and the other Neo-Keynesians have been attempting to solve for the last four years. Since they don't understand the significance of credit, they don't understand the scale of the problem. Because the Zn-Z1 credit money gap is now larger than the $16 trillion GDP, the futility of attempting to make it vanish by raising taxes or increasing spending should be readily apparent.

And the more the veil thins, the more economic stress people feel. Like those who lived through the Great Depression, they no longer believe the constant assurances that recovery is right around the corner. Just the other day, I was surprised to hear a man in the UK who has hitherto exhibited no interest in economics refer sarcastically to "green shoots". When Ben Bernanke's old catchphrase from 2009 is being openly mocked by people living on different continents who probably still don't know who he is, it should be clear that the illusion is on the verge of complete failure.

So, if you're feeling more stress than usual this Christmas season, understand that it isn't all you or your lunatic relatives that are to blame and attempt to cut yourself and everyone else some slack. It may well be the illusion of nonexistent wealth fading away that is contributing to an increasingly corrosive social mood. I don't have any advice or answers, (although perhaps some inexpensive escapist literature wouldn't hurt), but sometimes it just helps to realize that you're not imagining things and the problems you're perceiving are material rather than figments of your imagination.

190 Comments:

In the past six months, I have found that immersing myself in the fictional world of my own creation has been a fine antidote from worrying about the state of the world.

"Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will prepare or stockpile; or about your money, what you will invest. Is not life more important than firearms, and the body more important than gold? Look at the birds of the air; they do not invest in gold or build wilderness redoubts, and yet your heavenly Father provides for them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?

And why do you worry about money? See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not buy or sell. Yet I tell you that not even Steve Jobs in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is cut under the lawnmower, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? So do not worry, saying, "What shall I eat?" or "What shall I drink?" or "What shall I wear?" For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly father knows that you need them.

But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow.

Vox, my mother works at a very upscale department store. She said business literally cratered earlier this year. Her income, hugely dependent on commissions, went down by half or so. Don't know if it has recovered since then. I'll have to ask.

In the past six months, I have found that immersing myself in the fictional world of my own creation has been a fine antidote from worrying about the state of the world.

Sure, but things have a way of filtering through. Yesterday, I wrote part of a section for Book Two that I threw away because I realized it was probably a bit extreme for George Martin's publishers, never mind Marcher Lord.

I'm in a book entitled "Rival Rails," about railroad development in the US. Lots of interesting events. But I cringe every time the gov't gets involved: the booms favor the politically connected, the panics get worse. Now that's just accepted as normal course of events, maybe it always was.

Strokes and heart atacks are very real and stress is a killer. I try to retreat back to the word of God, reading, extra workouts, therapeutic cleaning and video games.

The frustration has set in and the number of people around me who don't care anymore is alarming. One person has this idea that b/c they are dying of cancer they want to take everyone down with them.

This includes wanting to spend $200 on Christmas decor b/c "they won't be denied."

"I won't be denied?"

What a out of touch comment and attitude to take when the entire family is hurting financially. This is not the appropriate economy for, "I won't be denied."

In frustration and hurt, I unplugged from this person, stopped calling, quit returning phone calls. I have to love them from a distance b/c they are too toxic for me. When I go around this person it just sets in feelings of agitation and nastiness.

Meanwhile, dad and I moved away to where he can recover and I can regain peace. The doctors promoted this particular decision given that no one is allowed home health care (rationing, I don't know).

7 out of 10 family members in their 50's are all applying for SSDI, the unemployment is gone, their psychiatrists have them on AWFUL medications that turn them into monsters. Their regular doctors dropped them from their practice with special thanks to RG Steel's fiasco.

Cars: Sometimes I become nauseated when I have to part with what little money is left in the family coffers. It doesn't matter if its for food, gas or something I actually wanted. Spending money is sickening...

Last week both cars went down and we were literally towing both cars to the garage; front brakes croaked; tires, fluid dripping everywhere - Anyways $710 dollars later, both cars are back on the road.

I don't know, I'm rather unmotivated to get angry. Over what? The countless examples of corruption, injustice, the cruelties of the HR process, and the fallen human nature? What is the point of anger and what does it serve since all these things were here since the beginning of man?

RedJack sums it up nicely. In the last 3 months I've had a number of non-gun owners, including some formerly anti gun folks ask my advice on what they should buy to protect themselves with and/or if I would teach them to shoot.

Like dogs before an earthquake, people seem to be sensing something coming, even if they don't know what it is.

But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow.

I think you meant His kingdom and His righteousness. Anyway, I agree with you, but there is only a comparatively small handful of us that get what you're saying. I was appalled the other day when I seen the video of Jamie Foxx proclaiming "First of all, giving honor to god and our lord and savior, Barack Obama..." to raucous applause at the Soul Train Awards ceremony. Maybe it was supposed to be a joke - another "black thing" - that I just don't get. Apparently a majority of them have put their faith in his kingdom and his righteousness.

If Jamie Foxx had said this in the middle east, he would be dead by now. For our complacency (tolerance) on all matters like this, we are all going to get exactly what we deserve.

For our complacency (tolerance) on all matters like this, we are all going to get exactly what we deserve. - IM2L844

Please tell me what on earth shall I do to people like Jamie Foxx? Should I be reaching for my 270 win and shoot at him from 300 yeards? (I could hit in right in the head...)

Should I be exacting Justice on him for daring to announce his god and savior? Maybe I should be executing people in prision?Should I be slitting the throats of teenage girls in my neighborhood who are fornicating with the boys? What if they only perform orally? Is that ok with you?

Please tell me why I have to go and punish these people in order to keep my salvation? Oh, and please inform my employer who is working us 10+ hours a day because we are so bloody busy, that I will need to work less hours because you need people to be punished. By the way, when the punishments are beginning, I will come for you first.

Should I be exacting Justice on him for daring to announce his god and savior?

That is not what I meant to imply. My point was that today there is no public outcry for these sorts of things. It wasn't all that long ago this would have been all over the news. Today, not even a peep. I just happened to stumble across it or I never would have even known about it.

My actual expectation, Starbuck, is that most people will respond, just the way you did, with acrimonious sarcasm directed at the people who point these things out and tolerant complacency for the actual blatant and blasphemous acts against God.

I own my own business. I work ten to twelve hours a day, and usually on Sundays. We are barely getting by. Some mental case walked in the door, tried to steal something, and I responded by picking him and throwing him out the door. My fuse, which has always been pretty long, is now gone, and it's due to the economy.

So, if Vox is so stupid and the people who are in charge are so damn smart, why isn't anything getting better? The crash was in 2008. It's 2012. Four years, and if anything it feels like we're worse off than ever!

I own and run two small businesses and the decline in revenue over the last 36 months is INSANE. I've done massive cost cutting to keep the lights on...which also means that I'm passing along the decline in revenue to (former) employees who've been laid off, vendors (who no longer get orders from me), etc.

> In the past six months, I have found that immersing myself in the fictional world of my own creation has been a fine antidote from worrying about the state of the world.

Personally I'm writing draft three of a Galt's Gulch / Moon is a Harsh Mistress homage ( http://morlockpublishing.com/the-book ), which is entirely about top-down regulation, an imploding economy, and more. Not an antidote to concern about the macroeconomy so much as its distilled essence.

"the real demand gap that Paul Krugman and the other Neo-Keynesians have been attempting to solve for the last four years. Since they don't understand the significance of credit, they don't understand the scale of the problem."

Whilst I have zero respect for Paul Krugman, I have to assume that he is not an illiterate man in his field. My guess is that he understands all too well 'the significance of credit' and many other concepts, it is simply that he suppresses this understanding and rejects it out of hand, because these things are heresies which must be silenced, they interfere with his liberal theology/ideology/race hustle.

For the Celebrated Mister K and those like him, there is a clear hierarchy of goals:

1. Destroy (or at least permanently neuter) the white race and Christianity;2. The mess that is left over from this destruction can simply be dealt with afterwards, in a variety of ways.

The Prime Directive is the Prime Directive; everything else can be worried about later.

NEVER assume that a liberal, especially a Jewish liberal, is arguing in good faith.

Vox: Sure, but things have a way of filtering through. Yesterday, I wrote part of a section for Book Two that I threw away because I realized it was probably a bit extreme for George Martin's publishers, never mind Marcher Lord.

Don't know if you would consider doing this; BUT, could you keep these things you through out that were too extreme? Perhaps you could gift the ILK with them when the timing is right [after the next installment Of Arts. Or sooner, which would be better.]By this I mean some sort of posting here although I would not be adverse to a .99 Amazon book of the outtakes.

And Vox proves one again he has no understanding of our banking system and the very concept of horizontal and vertical transactions. Why are Austrian types so dense? What is it about that faith that causes such daft delusions despite all evidence to the contrary? It's pure Gnosticism.

And Serge proves once again that he's an asshole with zero social skills and no understanding of Internet etiquette. Why is he so clueless?

Now answer these two questions Serge:

1. Is any of the data cited incorrect?2. Is debt-disinflation occurring?

Drudge had yesterday a top headline that the Obama Administration has hired 101 new Federal Workers, everyday, since he has been in office. Much earlier, it was also reported that the Obamination gave all federal workers raises and increased the budgets of all departments across the board.

Rush Limbaugh had it right, they/he are trying to purposely crash the system. It is unbelievable the lack of common sense. If this is on purpose, it only means that they are trying to sieze dictorial power thru economic collapse. It is all pretty much insane. What it is, is mass delusion which is a common human state. Once a bunch of people don't believe in Truth, they must believe in a Lie. Nature abhors a vacuum. Either you hold onto Truth or you hold onto Lies.

A whole bunch of people think that we are going to come out better on the otherside of this coming destruction, but I think not. It is the time of the Second Coming. The Church is in grave error throughout, it has adopted Cultural Marxism. The purposeful crashing of the system, to cause economic collapse, the increase of the spread between the rich and the poor. If Christ doesn't come, it would mean that the Gates of Hell will have prevailed against the Church. The coming world-wide persecution of Christians. Vox, it is not only the growing despair, but the hatred between Left and Right is growing. Attacks upon Christianity is growing. It is the beginning of the end. We are going to live thru the Great Tribulation and see the Second Coming.

Sometimes it is great to be "poor"... albeit with food and other stocks for when the paper is worth, well, what paper is worth. Well, and being on death's door ain't shabby either. Just in case it gets too rough there is always the chance that God will call me. Heh... I'm hoping to watch some of this though... popcorn and the means to cook it are in stock, and I think I have a crank radio somewhere.

Rush Limbaugh had it right, they/he are trying to purposely crash the system.

No, they're not. That mindset is one of the biggest misconceptions on the Right, that all liberals hate America and want to destroy it. It's not the case: liberals do what they do because they're trying to, in their minds, build a better America. Obviously their vision differs from ours. And obviously their policies are disastrous. But don't attribute malice to mere stupidity.

We all talk pretty tough and now the time to act is upon us and we friend people while spaced out on pharma meds prescribed by our loving doctor.

If we didn't have air conditioning or facebook we might get out and march in the streets this summer as was done in the US in the 60's. Constitutionalists must get out in the millions across this nation. It would mean more if the 2nd amendment were also exercised during those marches. The sight of a gun makes many leftties wet themselves.....

"That's what generational cycles would predict, along with a major war."

Yes, except this time the war will not be against foreign powers, it will be the vibrant feds against whites and Christians, right here at home. Or should I say, "home."

Somehow, when it starts, I don't think the French (or any of the other Euros) will be landing their forces on the Virginia coast for the defense of Christendom, with a French general grandly proclaiming, "Pershing, nous sommes ici."

I too have been feeling the stress. Old tempations and old hatreds have started to smolder. I've found hope in reading the Holy Bible and asking God for help.

“O our God, will You not judge them? For we have no power against this great multitude that is coming against us; nor do we know what to do, but our eyes are upon You.” Now all Judah, with their little ones, their wives, and their children, stood before the LORD.” II Chronicles 20:12-13

“So they rose early in the morning and went out into the Wilderness of Tekoa; and as they went out, Jehoshaphat stood and said, “Hear me, O Judah and you inhabitants of Jerusalem: Believe in the Lord your God, and you shall be established; believe His prophets, and you shall prosper.” 21 And when he had consulted with the people, he appointed those who should sing to the Lord, and who should praise the beauty of holiness, as they went out before the army and were saying:“Praise the Lord, For His mercy endures forever.” 2 Chronicles 20:20-21

God isn’t broke, isn’t powerless, isn’t without resources and is very able to do what we cannot do. Today is a good day to praise Him and see what happens!

Yes, except this time the war will not be against foreign powers, it will be the vibrant feds against whites and Christians, right here at home. Or should I say, "home."

There could be a series of civil wars, but the more likely catalyst will be a country extracting the debt they are owed from another with arms. Remember that nations don't have friends, just enemies and allies to varying degrees.

Should I be exacting Justice on him for daring to announce his god and savior?

That is not what I meant to imply. My point was that today there is no public outcry for these sorts of things. It wasn't all that long ago this would have been all over the news. Today, not even a peep. I just happened to stumble across it or I never would have even known about it.

My actual expectation, Starbuck, is that most people will respond, just the way you did, with acrimonious sarcasm directed at the people who point these things out and tolerant complacency for the actual blatant and blasphemous acts against God.

Problem is that a lot of people that would have disagreed with him have either not seen it, don't know who Jamie Foxx is, are too busy working or surviving to even care what a dumbass nigger has to say... Or they DID speak out. If you didn't know, there were many people that spoke out. Does it REALLY surprise you that the mainstream media said nothing out of approval? Really?

Do you advocate a war with the godless? Because I do, but I have no financial backing, nor do I have other people who want to bring war to them and this tyranny we are beginning to experience.

I am not attacking you per se. But I have read and heard a lot of people condeming people in the same position as I find myself. Impotence... I am being condemned for obeying the law, paying taxes, voting, Not getting on TV and condemning the godless when they rear their little ugly heads - which happens a lot on mainstream media.

I get condemned for not voting romney and laughed at for not voting obama. I am condemned to hell by Christians because the powerful have turned against them. The powerful in this country is going to kill the churches. And for some reason it is my and others in my positions fault.

Instead of motivating people to work against them, politically or possibly even war - they actively seek to make them feel guilty.

Am I cranky? yes. And perhaps this is why. I am royally torked because the finger pointing started a while ago and they always seem to point to me and others like me.

So tell me. What gives? Is God going to place me in hell for paying taxes to a government what kills its babies? For the wars this country gets itself into? For the murders the intelligence angencies commit? For the sexual sins of a nation?

Because if I don't pay taxes, I will be getting a new boyfriend with the name "Rock", courtesy of the IRS.

Please, someone tell me some options.. by the way. Moving out of this country is NOT an option.

[i]Rush Limbaugh had it right, they/he are trying to purposely crash the system.[/i]

I'm with Josh on this. You'd have to be colossally stupid to believe that the best path for a socialist Utopia is to start with a cratered American economy. The country is too big and to diverse to unite under a new economic banner.

Every politician is doing what they have always done, which is kick the can down the road. It's always worked before, more or less, so why wouldn't it work now?

Words escape me... This election (Nov 6, 2012): Twenty-one of 22 incumbent senators were re-elected, and 353 of 373 incumbent members of the House were re-elected. The American people have re-elected 94 percent of the incumbents who were running for re-election to an institution that has an approval rating of about 9 percent. This indicates, as an electorate, we are a nation of idiots. We're now stuck with the useless, dysfunctional government that we deserve.

What you don't understand about a crashed economy is that these socialists want to discredit capitalism and impose State owned monopoly economy! Furthermore there is a political agenda here. With a great depression, the people will clamor---wait for it---The Jewish Messiah that will cure them of all the ills of the world! We are moving to the realization of the Jewish goal. First comes the Messianic Age and then the Jewish Messiah. You have to have First the Messianic Age. This started with the modern republican movement with "any government without a king is a republic". Getting rid of kings was the first step. That is accomplished. Now, Multiculturalism/Globalization. The creation of the United Nations that FDR accomplished by going to war. It is all there people! As the Jewish thinker Rosenweig said, "If Jesus returns to earth, we will just have to kill him all over again". They are setting up the world for their "Jewish Messiah". All of history since 1400s have been about Jews engineering the world for a Messianic Age. This is what all of history is about! Protestant and Catholic Christians, Protestants in their Judaizing and the Catholics with their adoption of Cultural Marxism, (read "Social Justice"), are all co-partners in this project!

Although capable of greatness every so often humans are largely shallow and incompetent creatures, which is why I don't buy into the vast majority of conspiracy theories. Diluting the ethnic make-up and economic power of a country makes it almost guaranteed to fracture rather than consolidate into a socialist paradise or a one world government. If that is anyone's plan they must be pretty sad right about now.

I've observed this as well. The political shows are at the point where they call each other stupid or evil and call it a day. Some folks probably blame the fracturing of the media, but it's mostly social mood.

The whole anti-white meme coming from Drudge and elsewhere is also along these lines. Declining social mood favors reactionaries and the reactosphere is pushing their agenda, but this is also social mood. People are actively seeking out things that offend them because they are in a bad mood.

The only antidote I can find is to a) avoid the worst of it. Don't engage in toxic conversation, in person or online. Turn off the tv if the topic turns nasty. Media is purposefully selecting the most angering stories because they are also suffering negative mood and it brings in ratings. Or, just realize that there isn't increased anti-X sentiment, there's increased negative sentiment and you are probably actively seeking it out.

You guys are idiots. This is NOT some cycle we are going thru! What has been going on is a huge conspiracy formulated back in the 1400s to create the Messianic Age!!!! All of history revolves around that!!! This is not a cycle. This is what Freemasonry of the Scottish Rite is all about. Masons are builders. That is why they have the title "masons" for. They are building the Temple of the Messianic Age, in order to bring about the "Jewish Messiah". This is the goal of Freemasonry. Always has been. This is what Marxism is about! Capitalism, Wall Street is the Jewish Agenda of Joseph in Eygpt---taking all the wealth and putting it in Jewish hands. We are all being impoverished for all the world's wealth is being absorbed by the Jews. Three ways out of hell you are being out-manuevered by a Jewish conspiracy. Hussein and the Democratic Party are Marxist. All of Socialism is Jewish Ideology. Libertarianism is a Jewish Ideology. All of it! They control all of it!

Everything going on, WWI, WWII, Iraq, Afghanistan is about building the Messianic Age. That is the essence of History post the Resurrection of Christ back in 33 A.D.

The cause of whatever stress Vox Day or his friends might be feeling, the critical thing to understand is how best to deal with it.

Admittedly, my source of stress is not finance-related. My chosen profession provides me with all I need plus a retirement that is secure. However, stress can pop up for a variety of reason and there are some very effective ways to deal with it. And deal with it you should because too much will end you life early.

That said, here are the top 10 ways to keep your stress low.

1. Drink Alcohol or Smoke Dope (occasionally)2. Have a close set of friends/family3. Exercise (it doesn't have to be too strenuous)4. Fight back against nuisance only rarely if ever5. Find a reason to laugh hard, regularly6. Always have something to look forward to7. Find someone to love, who loves you back8. Always be in the process of learning something new9. Get enough sleep. But not to excess.10. Don't try to fix other people.

This would involve you posting some of your more "brilliant" ideas. So get to it.

10. Don't try to fix other people.

So now you'll stop trying to "fix" people who complain about Obamacare because they don't believe in paying for abortions or other things that people should pay for themselves? Or just want to live with some stress?

@WheelerThis is what Marxism is about! Capitalism, Wall Street is the Jewish Agenda of Joseph in Eygpt---taking all the wealth and putting it in Jewish hands. We are all being impoverished for all the world's wealth is being absorbed by the Jews.

Well where the hell is my share then? I'm doing just fine economically, but being a Jew I'm a little concerned that 1) I've not gotten any invitations to the meetings of the Cabal and 2) I've not managed to absorb any more riches from the Gentiles that will allow me to secure the future for more than me and my family.

And I got a movie coming out, "Django," check it out. Leonardo DiCaprio, Samuel L. Jackson. “Django Unchained” I play a slave. How black is that? And in the movie I had to wear chains. How whack is that? But don't be worried about it because I get out the chains, I get free, I save my wife, and I kill all the white people in the movie. How great is that? And how black is that?

Hmmm...I wonder if he'd prayerfully cry out Obama's name while doing it. And no, I don't mean in the movie.

@EdjumacatorSo now you'll stop trying to "fix" people who complain about Obamacare because they don't believe in paying for abortions or other things that people should pay for themselves? Or just want to live with some stress?

I'm not trying to fix you or anyone else. Just here for he lively conversation and learning something new all the time.

Sure, but things have a way of filtering through. Yesterday, I wrote part of a section for Book Two that I threw away because I realized it was probably a bit extreme for George Martin's publishers, never mind Marcher Lord.

Well, the escape into a fictional world is not a mind-numbing drug, but a homeopathic cure. It may smell bad or demand a challenging search for a rare herb, but in the end, the patient does, in fact, escape the ailment.

It isn't a mere coincidence that the Pevensies discover the wardrobe because of the Blitz, that Frodo picks up the ring because his beloved uncle is facing mortality, that (T.H. White's) Arthur jerks the sword free in desperation due to his failures, that Thomas Covenant's identity as a rapist is the critical component of redemption, etc.

Joe Abercrombie invites the reader to escape into nihilistic torture. Great stories provide a means to escape out of it.

I wonder what might happen if you try to slide it past. Sometimes, extremity is superfluous, but sometimes it is the most important thing.

After all, if Gollum had not been tortured in Mordor, the author would not have revealed that he was:

1) No coward.2) Principled.3) Pitiable.4) Strong-willed.5) Capable of good (resistance to the devil).

My chosen profession provides me with all I need plus a retirement that is secure. -Tad

Tad, if you don't have the money for your retirement in hand, in tangible goods like gold, silver, platinum, land,goats, cattle, bushels of wheat or soybeans, etc., then your retirement is not secure. You are a fool complacent in his folly to believe otherwise.

I'm cranky because of other sucky aspects of my life that have little to do with finances or the economy. I would rather be dirt poor and have that stuff fixed, looks like I'll get the worst of both worlds soon enough.

Please, someone tell me some options.. by the way. Moving out of this country is NOT an option.

Do what you can to secure and protect your family. Gold/silver, guns, food, safe home/retreat, like-minded friends for support, etc. You cannot solve the problem, but you can prepare to survive the problem.

And the Lord said to Samuel, “Obey the voice of the people in all that they say to you, for they have not rejected you, but they have rejected me from being king over them. According to all the deeds that they have done, from the day I brought them up out of Egypt even to this day, forsaking me and serving other gods, so they are also doing to you. Now then, obey their voice; only you shall solemnly warn them and show them the ways of the king who shall reign over them.”

So Samuel told all the words of the Lord to the people who were asking for a king from him. He said, “These will be the ways of the king who will reign over you: he will take your sons and appoint them to his chariots and to be his horsemen and to run before his chariots. And he will appoint for himself commanders of thousands and commanders of fifties, and some to plow his ground and to reap his harvest, and to make his implements of war and the equipment of his chariots. He will take your daughters to be perfumers and cooks and bakers. He will take the best of your fields and vineyards and olive orchards and give them to his servants. He will take the tenth of your grain and of your vineyards and give it to his officers and to his servants. He will take your male servants and female servants and the best of your young men and your donkeys, and put them to his work. He will take the tenth of your flocks, and you shall be his slaves. And in that day you will cry out because of your king, whom you have chosen for yourselves, but the Lord will not answer you in that day.”

Wheeler, you pray for the leash around your neck and the bit in your mouth that is causing the very problem you proclaim you wish to solve. Go find some master's boot to lick, and leave those of us who truly wish to serve God and not man to try to do so.

We Americans spent almost 90 years free of the tyranny of a strong central government, a strong army, and strong banks. Then God punished us for the sin of taking slaves with Lincoln and the civil war, and let us start enslaving ourselves to our high king, the 9 priests in black robes, and the 535 princes on the hill. Now we cry for a king to protect us, give us jobs, and take his money from our rich, and we are surprised when the choke chain cuts off our breath.

Bah. God hasn't had to punish America, He just had to let it do what it wanted to do to itself.

Regarding this last storm that hit NY, NJ & PA...notice that FEMA was at best, slow to respond, the was a sign on a FEMA office that stated "Closed due to weather",an in-your-face disregard for all the people that were hurt by this storm. people on the Jersey coast and in Staten Island were left to fend for themselves; no $2000 credit cards, no shelters brought in, etc. Since most of these people were white was this a deliberate respone by a racist government...sort of screw 'em. Let them work it out. Note that there were no calls for the head of FEMA to be fired.

@DHSTad probably works for the government, where they will eventually provide him with a cot, 3 MRE's a day, and a rifle.

When my nephew explained he was planning to enlist after he finished high school, I immediately made plans to give him a European vacation as a graduation gift to assure he did not immediately enlist in the armed forces and to inspire him. It worked. He's not a member of the armed forces and never was. Where a career is concerned, few choices provide fewer options or long term stability or future happiness than taking up arms or working for the government. Rest assured I am not in the armed forces or a government employee.

Yes, the Gates of Hell are prevailing against the Church. The only way, the only way this is fixed is the Second Coming. Only Christ is going to pull your asses out of the fire. The ball is too big. The Juggernaut, the Beast is too big. The Church has adopted the Beast's program as well that is why the Gates of Hell are prevailing. Modernism was adopted by the Church in Vatican II. Almost all are infected with PeeCee. I'm afraid that we will all experience the Great Tribulation.

Please, someone tell me some options.. by the way. Moving out of this country is NOT an option.

Do what you can to secure and protect your family. Gold/silver, guns, food, safe home/retreat, like-minded friends for support, etc. You cannot solve the problem, but you can prepare to survive the problem.

What to do with all this? Be water, my friend. If it's poor They want, poor you can be, on paper. But not in reality, if you plan things right:

- Learn how to garden. This is critical. Garden every square inch of your property. Even if you live in an apartment, you can raise plants in pots. It's surprising how much can be done in how little space with a little knowledge. Acquire it.- If you have even a quarter acre lot on which to live, you can raise chickens and perhaps even other small livestock.- Establish local community relationships, barter, trade services, etc... This way you can work toward agreement with your neighbors that you won't rat each other out about chickens in the back yard, or extensive gardens that break groundskeeping ordinances.- Do NOT make your house and grounds look too presentable and prosperous.- Stop using credit cards and ATM cards to make transactions, except for those carefully-planned transactions to make you look like the rest of the sheeple. You are being watched.- Re-learn the ancient art of communicating without cellphones and email. It might just save your life.- Make an extensive itemized list of things you currently spend money or time on that you can live without. Start eliminating them one by one. For example, I no longer buy shampoos, shaving cream, or skincare products. Regular old bar soap does the job for all of it. And it's much more healthy. If you have dry skin or hair, use a little coconut oil.- For anything that you would normally buy, ask yourself "could I make this?".- Of course everyone knows about gold and silver, but, why not acquire some simple raw materials to store up while costs are cheap? Things like fabric to make clothing, yarn, rope, scrap wood being sold at Home Depot, tree branches that you would normally discard, scrap metal to make knives, etc...- Think long and hard about what you would do if the power went out. Ditto for the water.- Get whatever basic self-defense training you can, or at least read up and drill yourself on the basics. You can find a lot on Youtube, also.- Guns, of course. Also knives, machetes, bow and arrows, etc...- Get as healthy and fit as you can, so you can obviate medical costs (or future rationing of medical services). There is an incredible amount of knowledge available on optimal exercise and nutrition that we didn't have even a couple decades ago, yet almost no one is applying it. The main hint: nature pretty much triumphs over technology, even today. Get away from the manufactured "health foods" and do short bursts of natural exercise like running, climbing, lifting things, etc...

My point here being not just to prepare for complete collapse of civilization, but to be able to live well at a lower taxable footprint. Call it going "soft Galt". Why strive, strive, strive for conventional success when you will be taxed to death, and your "paper" money can be gone in a digital flash? If all your food comes from the supermarket, and all your health derives from insurance-funded medicine, and your housing depends on your monthly mortgage payment, and all your sustenance derives from a conventional income, then you are funding those who are slowly destroying us. You are part of the problem.

My production/editing/writing work's fallen through the floor, despite my having a great list of contacts in the radio world. It's interesting falling into poverty, such as it is. Unlike most, though, I prepared for this by paying off my house and putting away extra assets. And a 50lb bag of popcorn.

Now I spend most of my time gardening and writing and sharing food-growing info on my website. It gives me some purpose, even if it doesn't make me money. And maybe it'll help some people.

But you're right, Vox... the mood is incredibly sour. Everyone is freaking out and closing their businesses around here.

Rome collapsed and the end didn't come. Same for the USSR, I doubt it will happen because America collapses. Now if they bring the mark of the beast, then yes. Christianity is booming Africa and Asia, it's only the West where it dies.

That Z1 line above goes horizontal about the time we shifted to the "information economy." We stopped making things and started shuffling first paper, then electrons. A 112 IQ guy in 1970 was probably a technician at a factory, mill, or plant somewhere who kept machinery going that made useful stuff. He worked for a 125 IQ Chief, and the plant employed a small army of 90-105 IQ workers. Now, the modern equivalent of the 112 IQ guy is a project manager at his fifth failed dot com retail outfit, and the 125 IQ boss is a lawyer or political consultant instead. The workers are doing God-only-knows what, without adequate supervision, and providing no lasting value.

In the Carboniferous Erawe were promised abundance for all,by robbing selected Peterto pay for collective Paul.But though we had plenty of moneythere was nothing our money could buy.And the Gods of the Copybook Headingssaid "if you don't work, you die."

Z1 is flat because we've stopped making stuff worth buying. The magic of fractional reserve banking means we always have plenty of money - we literally can have as much money as we want - but an economy requires two sides to the exchange and it takes engineers, technicians, factory workers, loggers, miners, farmers, mill hands, shop foremen, mechanics and a host of other men getting their hands dirty in order to have something to spend that money on. We don't do enough of that any more.

Morons like Krugman confused the yardstick with the thing it was measuring and started making more yardsticks.

It's going to get worse. That Z1 line is going to turn south in the near future as equipment and infrastructure - neglected for decades - begins to fail, and as skilled producers die off. There are a bazillion people hungry for work in the US, but supposed I was able to bribe enough kleptocrats and union thugs to open a factory making, I dunno, refrigerators, in the US. How many people under 30 would I be able to hire to run it? How many of them would have the skills to operate and maintain factory equipment?

It may well be the illusion of nonexistent wealth fading away that is contributing to an increasingly corrosive social mood.

I think this may be why I reacted so strongly against Scalzi's "F*** you pay me," rubric. 45 people in the last month - showing up at the office door, needing help. Rent, propane, utilities, Christmas presents, assistance for medication, needing a place to stay for the night. Three days ago a young gal (I would have thought she was 16), came in. 5 kids (presumably by different fathers). Baby carrier on the elbow, oldest daughter leading holding the hands of the other three...asking for help this year so her kids can have Christmas. It begins to wear...

I absolutely confess this as anecdotal, and emotional. I think the stress increases for anyone working in a service-type industry. I think it increases for those who truly give a shite. God bless us everyone.

On the anecdotal side of things, ironically, work has been pretty good for me lately. Not great, but much better than last year. Turns out all my years spent learning the serious side of open source software is paying off now. Companies are tired of paying big bucks to the likes of Oracle and Microsoft, and are starting to migrate select parts of their systems to open source. I have been consulted at some interesting places the past few months.

However, gut feeling is it's a temporary boom. So I'm trying not to put all my eggs in one basket. Working on implementing as many things from my list above as possible.

Vidad is the man, as far as survival gardening goes. I have learned a lot from the guy.

I once put a new generator in my VW Beetle and reversed the polarity. It ran, so to speak. That's kind of how our economy is. We've got a real economy (real savings, real and valuable goods and services) and a bubble economy that requires constant money expansion to stay intact. The fuel, the power source and the mechanics are all there and the engine runs, but grinds and backfires the whole way. The real economy moves forward, the bubble economy drags it back, the real economy claws up again, etc.

My family is working to wean ourselves off bubble work (our current jobs) and into real things we hope people will buy/need no matter what. There's risk--the real and bubble economies are so intertwined at this point--but you do what you have to do. When the crash comes having a cushy desk job counting beans for some mega-corp won't save you either.

In all events, everybody should prepare for a drastically lowered standard of living. If you're debt-free and have the Church and family and can enjoy an occasional feast day you'll have to learn to be content with that.

A total breakdown of the division of labor will not happen. You will only see that in the African and Meso-American city slums. I expect plenty of rural blacks and meso's will do fine. America has lots of higher-g individuals who are well-armed and have good organizational skills. The place is not turning into Somalia even though certain areas will.

"Three days ago a young gal (I would have thought she was 16), came in. 5 kids (presumably by different fathers). Baby carrier on the elbow, oldest daughter leading holding the hands of the other three...asking for help this year so her kids can have Christmas. It begins to wear..." - JDC

And the thinking man is challenged on the right course of action during such times, since the mother won't likely learn from her mistakes and will instead create five (or eight) just like her. Cycles are near impossible to break in dysfunctional families and almost as difficult to maintain across generations among the healthy ones.

One indicator of a doomed society is when the most reliable path to create and keep wealth is political in nature.

Yes, the Gates of Hell are prevailing against the Church. The only way, the only way this is fixed is the Second Coming. Only Christ is going to pull your asses out of the fire. The ball is too big. The Juggernaut, the Beast is too big. The Church has adopted the Beast's program as well that is why the Gates of Hell are prevailing. Modernism was adopted by the Church in Vatican II. Almost all are infected with PeeCee. I'm afraid that we will all experience the Great Tribulation. - Wheeler

Wheeler,

You do realize that the Roman Catholic Church, Protestants, Angelical, Mormons are NOT the Church.

Do you understand what the Church really is?

Here, I will help you. The Church is all of the people who believe, love, follow, pray to, accept as their messiah - Yeshua (Greek = Jesus, English = Joshua) of Nazareth.They are the Church. None of these governments/organized religions qualify. The church is the people.

I'll be fine without any part of my portfolio dedicated to (tangible assets)- T(a)rd

Ta(r)d,

when one or more of the John Corzine's of the world legally absconds with your "secure" 401k or other paper based "secure" form(s) of retirement savings, do give me a call. I could use a good laugh, with the darkening social mood and all.

What an opportunity here. Allow me to offer something that involves a solution to the immediate problem, and simultaneously offers you some good reading. Reading that is not just entertaining (like a genuine James Bond novel that you have never encountered before), but absolutely educational, that intends to provide a concrete solution, based on public participation.

Let me repeat that. An entertaining and educational endeavor that is based on public (you and me) participation. This is not "pie in the sky." This is a real solution. A solution that involves cold hard cash. Cash to the tune of trillions. Not to mention, some 2000 metric tons of gold, acquired legally from a former (at least we think former at this time) competitor.

It is not a fantasy. Simply because the assets are real. The problem is that like so many instances in life, the solution, the assets, have been hijacked, via............ let's call it "creative legal wrangling." Another way to define this, is simply -- someone stole it. And, the who and the what is where all the rest of us come in.

No human endeavor on this planet is impossible. It only seems so. No man, or group of men on this planet is a god. Even though, some think themselves so. All men are fallible. All men have a weakness. An "Achilles heal." One just has to find it.

Information is a powerful thing. Translated, or transmuted broadly, it becomes knowledge, that in the proper hands, becomes an absolute devasting weapon to those that fear it. When enough have the knowledge, mountains begin to move.

Dissemination of this material is unique. It is offerred all online, with your generous participation, via the means one (yourself) can provide. Let me give an example of just how sincere and down-to-earth this project is. Here is a list of the reasons, for request for the donations:

Site Maintenance and Content Creation.Research and optimisation to help generate traffic to the site.We need Google and Bing to find our web pages in high ranking results.Other projects such as videos and supporting downloads for the books.Beer for the tech guys that if they don’t get something for their mostly volunteer efforts are going to get depressed and suicidal!Site development so we can make everything as easily accessable as possible.Any services we must retain that are outsourced to third party companies ( they definately gonna want moolah).Keeping the site: advertising free We want to give the readers a no hassle viewing experience and don’t want to resort to having ad supported web pages.

I replied, that I will donate, for the reasons, of "beer for the tech guys" alone. (not that I'm a "tech guy" myself)

I have further commentary on this endeavor that I can share with anyone here that desire so. Contact me dhh451@gmail.com. I can share a most interesting exchange I had with a so-called infowarrior at Alex Jones' Planet Infowars...

It's likely a result of some sort of irrational fear you have of gay men. Where the fear that causes you discomfort comes from is very difficult to assess. It may be a result of the culture you have lived in or possible ideas you have been exposed to in your youth. As I said, it's hard to say with any certainty.

"the US economy has not actually grown in real macroeconomic terms since the early 1980s when not only M2 inflation, but Z1 inflation as well, is taken into account. "So, basically, it hasn't grown in real macroeconomic terms since I've been on this Earth. Fantastic...

Yeah, I'm getting sick of sitting around, waiting for my job to come through or not come through. There's no chance of temp employment since all temp employers know that I'll be gone. None of my friends, thankfully, have lost their jobs yet.

Even though Wheeler said it today, I always take issue with anyone who says they know when Christ is returning/the end of the U.S. (or the West, in general) = the Second coming. Only God knows that (it's in the Bible). I've just been trying to keep busy reading, keeping my foreign languages in check, along with my weapons proficiency.

Gee, should I hire you as my editor? I don't know how many times I previewed that. A spellchecker wouldn't catch that. Perhaps a thesaurus would. Didn't have one at the time. There is no edit function here. Besides, I really do despise grammar Nazis. Do me a favor, and go chomp on a hand grenade...

Please do carry on adulterating every word of your limited language with sexual meanings. Linguistically reducing everything to country matters will make it that much simpler to screw you all out of your freedom when I insert myself into a dominant position.

Over here in New Zealand, partner has become commonly used to describe a number of things from a marital partner, a defacto partner, a gay partner, a business partner, a golf partner, in fact any number of partners.

Even though Wheeler said it today, I always take issue with anyone who says they know when Christ is returning/the end of the U.S. (or the West, in general) = the Second coming. Only God knows that (it's in the Bible).

I have completely quit listening to Hal Lindsay because of his tendency to say "and X is why Jesus is coming soon!!!".

The USA has no place in end-times prophesy, and we as a society have no desire to obey God first, so we're leaving the picture. I don't think we're dying out or going to cease to exist; we're simply leaving the grown-ups table and heading back to the kiddy table. It could be as simple as the first major oil trades in Euros, or it could be a generation or two out (or more). I won't pretend to set a date, and I won't pretend to say that it's a prerequisite to the Tribulation; it's just part of it.

I feel like the prophets must have sometimes; praying for revival like Ninevah but kinda wishing that God would go on and give us that final kick over the cliff so we could get it over with. However, He is merciful and wants every possible person saved, so He waits until His time.

What hurts me the most is not that God might be punishing us, but that He doesn't have to do a darn thing to punish us; He just has to pull back His protection. Our society is happy to tear itself apart from the inside.

The (true) Church in Africa and Asia (especially China) gives me heart that the Church is still healthy, and that it can be revived in America and Europe. The saints there are quite right to pray for us to be tested; Churchianity in the West desperately needs cleansing. I just hate that it's going to hurt...

Milady and I were discussing this very topic a few nights ago. It's my opinion that, without WalMart, the US economy would have never recovered from the 1980s slump. WalMart (and others) drove the real price of food and most essentials down, and the Chinese drove down cost of small luxury items (home computers, iPods, iPads, etc.).

If we were in a real-money economy, we would be cooking with peanut oil right now. Every part of the economy except staple foods are in a slightly deflationary trend. It would be a wage-holders dream. However, we're in a credit-money economy addicted to parabolic growth, but not getting it. Price deflation pressure is very bad for it. Like the Cross of Gold crew, most of the US is on the wrong side of the short squeeze.

Like 1920, the best thing to do is to vaporize the debt, take the losses, and let the survivors rebuild quickly. We couldn't do that; we have to treat the hangover by getting even more drunk. Nothing like taking the Great Depression as a how-to guide....

@ClayI suspect Tad leans more the "Johnny Bench" way, than the "Nolan Ryan" way, if you get my drift.

You know, I've always used to wonder how someone like you could be qualified to make that kind of determination. With more experience and thought I realized it means you've likely only dabbled in or had a single experience playing for the other team. The reason I say that is that I can tell you from experience that it's relatively rare to meet someone who is exclusively a top or a bottom.

I guess what I'm getting around to is that I'm sorry you had a bad experience, Clay.

The (true) Church in Africa and Asia (especially China) gives me heart that the Church is still healthy...

While it is true that many of the most dedicated and zealous Christians, and in fact maybe the true center of the Church today, is in the east and Africa, there is one (but only one) caveat to that that I can think of (and who knows...maybe I am wrong about this):

Most of these Eastern Christians likely are part of churches seeded by Western denominations, and so the effeminacy of the west and the overemphasis on the Lamb of God as opposed to the Lion of Judah, and the conflation of Victorian morality with Christian morality is likely quite rampant.

Whenever I hear the testimony of someone from those regions, while I see much God-honoring goodness and a testimony to genuinely held faith and devotion that would put most of us Westerners in a bad light (they *will* be sending missionaries over here to *us* at some point...), I always see shadows of Ethel the Church lady or Kirk Cameron lurking in the vicinity, if you know what I mean.

In general, Christianity has adsorbed so much of Victorian England and

In general, Christianity has adsorbed so much of Victorian England and various influences that have led even many of the most zealous Christians to conflate their faith and the desire to be truly *good* with being *nice*.

It could just be the 'photo-ops' that we normally see via of eastern Christians via western Christian organizations, but it does seem that while they are more zealous and more strongly committed to the Gospel, some of the western baggage seems to have come along for the ride...

@ClayI suspect Tad leans more the "Johnny Bench" way, than the "Nolan Ryan" way, if you get my drift.

You know, I've always used to wonder how someone like you could be qualified to make that kind of determination. With more experience and thought I realized it means you've likely only dabbled in or had a single experience playing for the other team. The reason I say that is that I can tell you from experience that it's relatively rare to meet someone who is exclusively a top or a bottom.

I guess what I'm getting around to is that I'm sorry you had a bad experience, Clay.

Tad, in the course of a homosexual's life, at what point to you start to have anal malfunctions (leakage, prolapse, ripping and tearing)?

The economy is bad but here is what you cab do about it-- Before you go to sleep at night close your eyes and gaze into the darkness. Bring up the memory of your father. Tell him you forgive his inadequacies of the past. Do the same for your mother, or relatives, or friends.

If someone insults you in the present, forgive that too, Sush offenses are only puffs of air. Drop your pride permanently and you will soon become the strongest person you know,

Oppression leads to resentment and resistance. I know many formerly patriotic individuals who now ridicule the government. A growing segment of society considers the government corrupt, oppressive and illegitimate.

E. PERLINE December 11, 2012 7:41 PM "...Before you go to sleep at night close your eyes and gaze into the darkness. Bring up the memory of your father. Tell him you forgive his inadequacies of the past."

@Vox I have some non-fiction I've been meaning to get to but the draw of fiction is much greater right now, so you pretty much hit the nail on the head. I'll say though, it has been a little different from my point of few. I've been living in the negative so much here that it's surprising when someone says or does anything positive.

The last 'good' job I had was 12 years ago and it still pays the exact same wage 12 years later. Freelance jobs pay shit for what amounts to even harder work.

Thought I was going to have a VERY bad day, got cranky about it, and in the end everything worked out OK.

I live on an acreage which belongs to the people I work for. This morning we did not have any water pressure. So I told the boss, and he called the lazy ass, dip shit local plumber.

Seems that the check valve at the bottom of the pipe in the well, was leaking, which made the pump loose it's prime.

Now to the crisis. Beside the pipe going down into the well, which feeds the pressure system, is an old hand pump. It still works fine, and is our source of water in emergencies. My wife also waters that chickens from that hand pump.

The lazy ass plumber was going to cut the supply pipe of the hand pump, because it was in the way of the supply pipe of the pressure system.

I had a minor melt down. My boss was telling them to do it as quickly as possible so he approved cutting the pipe for the hand pump.

Eventually, they took the time to work around the hand pump, it still works, and we now have the pressure system going again.

Kind of hard to do any prepper stuff, planning on getting water from the hand pump when they were going to cut it off.

In this case being cranky, saved the day.

farmer Tom

I'm trying to get the boss to sell me the acreage, having the pump incapacitated was not part of that plan.

There is a verse in Psalms that guides me in these sorts of things. I think it is Psalm 128:3, and it says something like "the sceptre of the wicked shall not reign over the land of the rughteous." it means two things to me: that as long as there is righteousness in our land, we have nought to fear of dictatorship and civil war and anarchy. It also means if our righteousness is compromised, we will get exactly what we deserve.

More or less Obama is hated by the right for going after the rich and the healthcare industry. IMHO, the healthcare was a bloated vortex of waste and corruption, they chose a path of greed and now the sceptre descends on them (if only pharma was a part of it) As for the rich, I find the current "hands-off" millionaire set to be disagreeable - banksters and private equity leaches.... And unamerican, and now the sceptre descends on them too.

Niw, I have nothing against the rich - I'd like to be one some day. I just have a problem with someone who makes their living either - firing people (private equity), collecting usury (bankstas), securing monopolies, or manipulating prices (various speculators, investment bankers, pump-n-dumpers, etc), or other leachworthy vocations.

Dad and I have alot more to laugh at these days, so we laugh a little more. But the realities are still there; we've lost health, jobs, money, homes, etc., due to a storm of circumstances that never let up.

Great comments Perline. Forgiving and being forgiven are like nice pillows at night. A cleansed conscience brings many peace. Even Ro 8;28 is another pillow.

The toilet broke the same day as both cars were being towed. Luckily, we snaked it and that seemed to fix it.

$710 spent on cars, $0 on the plumbing. Somehow there are small reliefs.

I scanned the news and beyond the international news stations and financial stations it is all soft media nonsense, fake stories and fake concerns.

Unemployment?

Nope, no such thing as the jobless, doesn't exist as everyone is working, has money, this is another huge Christmas shopping event, all is fine. Until Americas poor leadership can admit to failure, an economic depression or a halt to all the fiscal cliff whining, nothing will ever improve.

So the day after Dec. 21 2012, the day after Jan. 1st 2013 should jolt some people back into this sometimes difficult place to exist in called reality.

"It's likely a result of some sort of irrational fear you have of gay men. Where the fear that causes you discomfort comes from is very difficult to assess. It may be a result of the culture you have lived in or possible ideas you have been exposed to in your youth. As I said, it's hard to say with any certainty."

Yeah, I used to buy into the fear argument. Then the progressives came up with hate crime laws. All for equality.

So Tad earns two badges: a yellow hexagram and a pink triangle as a queer jew. I guessed the jew part, the queer part didn't come through as clear in his posts before. It fits though. Lot's of 'look at me!' in his posts on this thread.

I always take issue with anyone who says they know when Christ is returning/the end of the U.S. (or the West, in general) = the Second coming. Only God knows that.

I have completely quit listening to Hal Lindsay because of his tendency to say "and X is why Jesus is coming soon!!!".

Amen.

In general, Christianity has adsorbed so much of Victorian England and various influences that have led even many of the most zealous Christians to conflate their faith and the desire to be truly *good* with being *nice*.

"Because the Zn-Z1 credit money gap is now larger than the $16 trillion GDP, the futility of attempting to make it vanish by raising taxes or increasing spending should be readily apparent."

Another on-going feeling or vibe this Christmas is how disgusted people were post election. Like the people at the gym or around the home front is how much they don't care, will NEVER listen to talk radio/vote/shop again, don't read the news about the false debates in the fiscal cliff nonsense.

I always take issue with anyone who says they know when Christ is returning/the end of the U.S. (or the West, in general) = the Second coming. Only God knows that.

I have completely quit listening to Hal Lindsay because of his tendency to say "and X is why Jesus is coming soon!!!".

Amen.

As most people here know, I'm not a Christian. But if I were, I'd laugh too at the "Jesus is coming soon!" types.

Life during the Black Death was a million times worse than today. If Jesus were coming just because things were going to pot, he'd have come back then.

And when I hear Christians cite "wars and rumors of wars," I remind them that there are statistically fewer wars and deaths from war today than at any point in human history. It just seems like there is much more conflict because of the sensationalist media.

Count me as one of the inflationistas. There simply is no possibility of paying off the debt with the same dollars borrowed. Like the Weimar Republic, without seriously debasing the currency, it becomes increasingly more difficult to keep up the payments with hard money.

The globalists, of course, are not in favor of any America First policies, but they are willing to wait for the day when they replace the USD with a more enlightened and just currency (that benefits the world). My nose is starting to bleed again.

Keynesian or not, anyone who has had a basic course in macroeconomics knows the government sector is relatively small when compared to the total economy. Even if the government could be like a puffer fish and multiply itself without restraint (like Obamba envisions), it cannot restore GDP growth to a declining economy. Even with wild stimulus efforts, there simply is not enough money to replace the loss of any portion of the private sector. Add to that the fact that government depends on tax revenues, which tend to collapse as the economy declines, and you are left with the understanding that the government is not able to rescue a shrinking economy.

Tad: "You know, I've always used to wonder how someone like you could be qualified to make that kind of determination. With more experience and thought I realized it means you've likely only dabbled in or had a single experience playing for the other team. The reason I say that is that I can tell you from experience that it's relatively rare to meet someone who is exclusively a top or a bottom.

I guess what I'm getting around to is that I'm sorry you had a bad experience, Clay."

Tad's just too perfectly entertaining to be real. Josh - are you punking us again?

Don, you just need to trust the animal spirits more! Have faith in the green shoots!

Well, Timmayy Geithner did ask for removal of all limits on issuance of Treasury debt and the Fed has promised QE to infinity and beyond. The would-be inflators have made their plans. Let's see them execute them.

We are achieving better material production every day. We still need human skill, but less of it, and our machines are constantly becoming more robot-like. Farming has become a science. Electronic advancement is nothing short of miraculous. In other words, there is no shortage of things when manufacturers are motivated to produce them.

So why the "depressions?" Why the ups and downs of distribution? I believe our governmental constructs are now hide-bound. They are erratic. They are well behind the curve. We need to dissolve them even if they're recent, and start over.

In order to find out how behind we are we must dissolve traditional forms. Even recent democratic governments are out of date! How about trying a limited anarchy? How about letting free enterprise reign unimpeded? How about making the public sector subcontract all services? How about educating all people instead of indulging in widespread government philanthropy? How about recognizing that the one element badly lagging human progress is all government itself?

Those who claim that they have no idea when Jesus is coming back, or that He will be here any second, just haven't read the Bible.

I would be interested from your persepective what you are looking for to determine when the Messiah you are looking for will be here. Unless I have mixed you up with someone else, I thought you were a practicing Jew.

I have to agree a bit. I have a Grandmother who can quite literally turn flowers into trees. I have never seen anyone with a touch like hers and it doesn't seem to have passed down from her. Sadly. Her Mother was the same.

There seems to be an art or gift for it as well. Which might be why people attempt to use science to mimic the gift.

Farming as a science is what has practically ruined it. It's not the fact of science itself, but the flight from *age-old farming knowledge to quick, convenient, short-sighted technological solutions. In many cases, science is now discovering how bad some of these "solutions" were.

As a result, we have generations of farmland that has fertilizer trucked in, pesticides trucked in, herbicides trucked in, genetically-modified seeds trucked in, and then out comes the same finished product, year after year, while the soil itself gets poorer and poorer. It's the same gripe I have with the "climate scientists": the interactions are far more complex than they they are assumed to be, but with the Western mindset of isolating cause/effect relationships, you try to unravel one thread and deal with it in exclusion to the others, thus running the risk of making things worse rather than better. Cause/effect isolation has made some amazing things possible, but we have put too much faith in this concept.

I've spent a some of the past few years teaching myself traditional farming and gardening techniques: composting, companion planting, rotating crops and livestock, mixing charcoal, etc..., and it is in many cases just a long, long chain of trial-and-error attempts, combined with imagination, and--yes--a certain connection with the plants and soil that you just begin to feel. Every place is different, and needs different treatment. The longer a society or culture is in existence, the more this is possible, but in the modern world, the passage of ancient knowledge has been dismissed forthwith, and we have been left with questionable results.

*By "age-old" I don't necessarily mean 1922, or even 1855. There is evidence of ancient knowledge that we have never surpassed. The Old Testament mentions Israelite spies visiting Canaan on their quest for the Promised Land and returning with a cluster of grapes so large it took two men to carry it. Anyone seen anything like that recently?

> As a result, we have generations of farmland that has fertilizer trucked in, pesticides trucked in, herbicides trucked in, genetically-modified seeds trucked in, and then out comes the same finished product, year after year, while the soil itself gets poorer and poorer.